Terminal connecter for electrical conductors



A ril 29. 1924. 1,491,838

0. ZIMMERMANN TERMINAL CONNEQTER FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Filed De 1, 1919 WITNESSES IIIIVEI VTOI? I I .6 OZ? 0' zmmermanm /W AM Anomms' 50 which will appear as the description pro-' Patented Apr. 29, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

o-rro or new You, n. Y.

Application filed December 1, 1919. Serial No. 341,006.

, and 1m roved Terminal Connector for Electrica Conductors, of which the followin is adescri tion.

his invention relates to terminal connectors for electric conductors, especiallytg terminals for stranded conductors, w

can be permanently and uickly attached without soldering to the on of a conductor by mechanical means to entirely inclose the conductor end in-a metallic casing.

The invention has for its general objects to provide a terminal for'flexlble and other electric conductors, which can be made of sheet metal easil cut and formed under a punch press an firmly attached to a conductor with specially formed liers or hand clamps to firmly bind both t e naked and insulated ends of a flexible electrical conductor to prevent stripping or unravelin the insulation and holding the" stranded wires and the insulation in an entirely inclosed metallic casing allowing a large area of electrical contact and bringin the strain of the clam ing screw on the casing containing the na ed conducting wires.

A more specific object. of the invention is to produce a terminal which can be attached to electric conductors by mechanical means and not be eflected by heat to surround and entirely inclose the melted and insulated ends of a conductor wire in a rigid metal casing in sucha manner thatjthe clamping screw brings the strain directly upon the naked end of the conductin wire held within the terminal casing. ne of the principal uses for this terminal is on rheostats, heatin apparatus, are lamps and all electncal dev1ces generating heat where a soldered terminal could not be used to advantage, although not necessaril limited to thisuse, but available for use 1n all cases; where a terminal can be applied to conductelectric current.

With such objects in view, and others in the following description and Reference is to baked to the accompanying drawings formin a. part of this specification, it bein un erstood that the drawings are merely i ustrative of practical examples ofthe invention.

Fi re 1 isa perspective view of a termina connector embodying my invention, showing the same attached to a flexible electrical conductor;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the connecter of the form shown in Figure 1 and the conductor;

FFigure 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in -1gures 1 and 2 but showing the connecter before being flanged over 1n the final stei r of afiixing thesame to the conductor;

gure 4 is a transverse vertical section on the line 4-4, Figure 2;

tor;

Figure 6Jis a transverse vertical section of another form of my improved connector; Figure 7 is a plan view of a connector presenting end clips for use in tappmg oil a branch from a main feed wire without cutting the latter; Figure 8 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figure 7 Figure '9 is a plan view of the device shown in Figures 7 and 8 before being flan d over onto the conductor;

Flgune 10 is a plan view of my improved connector of a form permitting'of its being applied to the conductor b a movement len hwise thereof instead 0 laterally.

igure 11'is a longitudinal vertical section similar to Figure 2 but showing a 'in Fi ure 11.

Re errin at first particularly to Figures 1 to 5 of t. e drawing, A designates a-conductor, and R my solderless terminal connecter applied thereto. The connecter is formed with an eyelet portion 15 vand also preferably and advantageously with a clip portion'16. The eyelet portion 15 is formed with an interior tubular stud 17 and with an outer peripheral rim 18, said stud and rim being u standing and substantially arallel and a so concentric in the original necter before being applied to the conducorm of the connector, as shown in Figuressllo 3 and 5. If the conductor A has insulation '0, the insulation is removed from the strands where they engage the 'connecter that when the connecter is applied it will have a good electrical connection with the conductor.

The 'connecter in the form referred to and also in the other forms hereinafter referred to, is so arranged that the eyelet portion presents at the tubular stud or at the peripheral flange, or both, a. member or members of a character to be bent' or flanged down onto the conductor to have clamping engagement therewith. In the form shown the same a more or less flattened fornras shown in Figures 2 and 4-.

The clip portion 16 is curved transversely and made approximately 'U-shaped to ive the adjacent insulated conductor portion and the sides of the clip when the connector is applied to the conductor are bent downwardly toward each other into close relation to form about the conductor a casing. of

substantial unbroken continuity. It is to be understood that the bending down of the flanges 18 and 19 and the'sldes of the clip! 16 is in practice done in a. machine under pressure so that when the connector is once applied it is impossible to pull the connecter out as the strands of the conductor are tightly clamped by the eyelet portion of the 'connecter and the adjacent" insulation and fsgtrands are firmly clamped by the clip porion. In the form shown in Figure 8' the eyelet portion 15" and clip portion 16 of the connector, B, are in the main similar in form to the same parts shown in Fi res 1 to 5, the diflerence beingthat the tu ularf stud 17" and peripheral rim-18 forming the channel 21" are given a hei ht so that both may be flanged over'onto t e clam part a of conductor A and overlap each other as at 19, 20", each of said flanges bein of a width to completely bridge the channe 21 or substantiall so. The form of my invention shown in igures'l to 9 constitutes a double-ended connecter, 1B", for use in tapping ofi abranch from a main feed wire A without cutting the strands for which: purpose said connector pnts diametrically opposite clip portions 16". e eyelet portion 15? of the connector prnts a cen- I tral tubular stud 17" and curved rim mom-1 bers 18'" at o posite s des of the stud. ,ll

have shown e w. 15" in thi of my invention with the rim 18" clamp flanges 19", 420" meetmg at the medial line after the manner of the first described construction but it will be unders that said flan es may be similar to the flanges 19, 20" o? Fi ure 6. The conductor or feed wire A at t e exposed part a is divided centrally and s read laterally in the arcuate channels 19" ormed between the tubular stud 17'" and the rim portions 18".

In the forms described, the connecter is dropped onto the binding st (not shown), throu h the central opening presented by the tu ular' stud. In Figure 10' a side open-, in 22 extends through rim flange 18 and tu ular stud 17 approximately radially to said stud. In this form .I have illustrated and the stud 17" both flanged over to form the stud and rim portion as both turned a over onto the conductor to present abutting flangesli), 20. The clip'portion 16 is the same as in the other forms to be clamped onto the adjacent insulated conductor portion A".

In all. forms of the invention the clip 16 preferably is indented as at 23 to depress the same and form an interlocked engagement with the insulation surrounding the conductor.

In Figure 11 the eyelet portion 15 of the connecter and the clip 16' are em lo'yed in connection with a cover plate 24o the form shown in-Figure 12. .Said late is in rin form to be -accommodated in thechanne 21 on top of the conductor and thereby lie beneath t e overturned flanges 19, 20 of the connector. A tan or arm 24" at one side of said plateexten s ,into'the cli 16 to beclamped down b the same "w en flanged over onto the con uctor.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated examples constitute practical embodiments of my invention, I do not limit mymlf strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the samecan be considerably varied without depa.r ture from the spirit of-the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, either of the flanges 19",20', Figure 6, ma obviously be omitted and also the flange over ortions maybe of unbroken continuity described my invention, I

1. As a new article of manufacture, a I

unitary terminal connector for electrical con- 'ductors, including atu-bula'r stud, and an outer rim spaced from. the stud so that the two constitute inner and outer walls of a channel adapted'to acodate a conductor, both of said walls being of a height to permitbeing bent over into flange form to overlie said channel for clamping the conductor therein.

2. A terminal ductois, inclu connector forelectrieal con- "1,8, tubular stud, and on W) outer rim spaced from the stud so that the two constitute inner and outer walls of a channel adapted to accommodate a conductor, said walls being of a height to permit of both being bent downwardly toward each other in approximately abutting relation in the same plane for clamping the conductor in said channel.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a connecter for electrical conductors including a tubular stud and a rim portion outside of the stud, said rim ortion' and stud forming walls of a channe therebetween; together with an element fitting the connecter between said stud and rim portion, both walls ofthe channel being adapted to be flanged over onto said element.

4. A terminal connecter for electric conductors consisting of a single member comprising a central hollow tubular stud and an outer peripheral flange joined thereto by an integral bottom member thereby forming inner and outer walls of a channel to receive the conducting wires, said flanges and stud being of a height to permit both being closed down toward each other completely enclosing the naked conducting wire and having an integral clip portion bendable about the insulated portion of conductor.

OTTO ZIMMERMAN. 

